Journal box lid



Jan. 17, 1939. G. A wooDMAN JQURNAL BOX'LID Filed May s, 1957 adv/72505 villi/fill!!! Patented Jan. 17, 1939 JOURNAL BOX LID George A. Woodman, Ghicago, 11].; Marshall Woodman Tufts executor man, deceased of George A. Wood- Application May 8, 1937, Serial No. 141,450

Claims.

This invention relates to journal boxes and more particularly to the hinged lids therefor.

It is customary to provide journal box lids with a strong spring for yieldingly holding the 5 lid in closed position on the journal box. Due to the severe service to which journal box lids are subjected in ordinary use, it is essential that the springs be very strong so that the lids will not be thrown open or rattle, causing breakage or other injury to the parts within the journal boxes, to the boxes themselves, and to the lids. Installation of a lid having such a strong spring has been difiicult and sometimes required the use of special clamps or other special tools in which to hold the spring in retracted position to facilitate installation or removal of the lid. Y

The primary object of this invention is: to provide a journal box lid which may be easily installed upon or removed from a journal box by an ordinary mechanic without the use of special clamps or other special tools for holding thespring in retracted position.

Another object is to provide a spring for a journal box lid which can be held in retracted position during installation upon a journal box and then may be easily placed into operative position for yieldingly holding the lid in closed position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a journal box lid in which the spring for normally holding the lid in closed position may be installed with the spring in inoperative retracted position and after installation the spring may be easily placed into operative position without providing openings in the lid through which dirt and other foreign matter may pass to injure the parts enclosed within the journal box.

A still further object is to facilitate removal of a journal box lid having a strong spring normally holding the lid closed on a journal box by providing means for placing and holding the spring in retracted position. during removal of the lid. Selected embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein embodying the invention and wherein parts of Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a journal box lid tion to remove the means which holds the spring in retracted inoperative position when the lid is closed.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a portion of a journal box lid embodying a modified form of the invention and wherein parts of the lid are shown broken away; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 taken substantially on the vertical center line of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawing, a journal box 5 of standard A. R. A. construction has a lid 6 pivotally mounted thereon by a pintle l. The lid includes spaced bearings 8, 8 having aligned open.- ings therein to receive the pintle I. An upwardly projecting boss 9 is provided on the box between the bearings 8, 8 and through which the pintle extends. The pintle may be secured in position by any suitable means. The lid comprises a flat plate i0 which is generally provided with a flange I I thereabout to close the opening in the journal box. A housing 12 is provided on the lid for the purpose of housing a spring l3 therein which spring is: adapted to yieldingly hold the lid in wide open or closed position. The spring I3 has a U-shaped portion or loop l4 interconnecting the coil portions I5 and 16, Fig. l. The coil portions terminate in end portions H. The plate [0 is displaced or recessed at It to receive the free ends of the spring I3 to securely hold the free ends in position. The loop is providedwith a plate l9 clamped thereto. The plate in normal operative position bears against the wall 20 on the cam surface of the boss 9, Fig. 2, and serves as a. wear plate. In this position the spring is under tension and holds the lid in closed position on the journal box. Grasping the grip portion 2| of the plate iii and pivoting the lid about the pintle causes the plate l9 to ride over the peak of the cam surface on the boss and engage the wall 22 thereon. It can be readily seen that this would take place were further opening movement given to the lid after it has arrived in the position shown in Fig. 4. When in wide open position'the spring engages the wall 22 as has just been explained and holds: the lid open until the grip portion 2: is again grasped and the lid swung downwardly passing the wear plate over the peak of the cam surface on the boss when the wear plate will then again engage the wall 20 and hold the lid in closed position.

It is necessary that a relatively strong spring be employed to effectively hold the lid closed during use, and installation and removal of the spring therefore becomes relatively more difiicult.

I therefore provide an extension 23 or tongue on the wear plate at the lower end thereof which extension is arranged between the portions of the spring forming the loop and extends arouately therefrom through a small opening 24 in the housing. A hole 25 is provided in the extension 23 near the free end thereof and a cotter pin 26 or similar device may be inserted through the hole 25 after the spring has been suitably compressed to arrange the hole 25 outsideof the housing. The spring is thereby held in comv pressed or retracted position by the cotter pin and the lid is ready to be installed uponthe journal box as in Fig. 3. After installation on the journal box the lid is moved suificiently to allow the wear plate toride on the high point on the cam surface on the boss 9 which will further compress the spring slightly but enough to free the pin 26 so that it may be readily withdrawn from the hole 25 whereupon the lid may be closed and the spring will then engage the cam surface 20 as in Fig. 2.

To remove the lid it is merely necessary to reverse the installation procedure. By raising the lid sufiiciently to permit the wear plate to ride on the high point on the cam surface on the boss 9 insertion of the cotter pin into the hole 25 can be accomplished with ease and the lid then placed into closed position such as Fig.3 in which position the pintle may be readily withdrawn and the lid removed from the box.

In some instances it may be desirable to provide a roller 2! on the loop M of the spring for engagement with the boss 9 on the box. This structure will tend to reduce the operating friction of the lid when raising or lowering the same. When the roller 21 is provided the plate l9 terminates short of the loop l4 and the plate then serves only as a means for fastening the tongue 23 to the spring I3.

I have provided a lid for a journal box which is held in closed or Wide open position by resilient means and which may be installed and removed with great facility and without the use of any special clamps or other tools.

While I have shown and described selected embodiments of the invention it is capable of variation and modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details set forth but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as -fall within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A journal box having an opening therein, a lid for closing said opening, means hingedly mounting said lid on the box, a spring mounted in said lid and adapted to engage said box to hold said lid in closing position, and means engageable with said box and fixedly secured to and carried by said spring and extending outside of said lid for holding said spring in retracted position during installation on and removal of said lid from the box.

2. A journal box having an opening therein, a lid for closing said opening, means hingedly mounting said lid on the box, a spring mounted in said lid and adapted to engage said box to hold said lid in closing position, a tongue secured to said spring and extending outside of said lid, and means cooperatively engageable with said tongue for holding said spring in retracted position during installation on and removal of said lid from the box.

3. A journal box having an opening therein, a lid for closing said opening, means hingedly mounting said lid on the box, a spring mounted in said lid and adapted to engage said box to hold said lid in closing position, a wear plate secured to and carried by said spring and adapted to engage said box, a tongue on said wear plate extending outside of said lid, said tongue having an opening therethrough adjacent the free end thereof, and means insertable in said tongue opening on compression of said spring and engageable with said lid to hold said spring in retracted position during installation on and removal of said lid from the box.

4. A journal box having an opening therein, a lid for closing said opening, means hingedly mounting said lid on the box, a spring mounted in said lid, said spring comprising coil portions interconnected by portions forming a loop, a wear plate secured to said loop and adapted to engage spring in retracted position during installation I on and removal of said lid from the box.

5. A journal box having an opening therein, a lid for closing said opening, means hingedly mounting said lid on the box, a housing on said lid formed integral therewith and having an opening therethrough, a journal box having an opening therein, a lid comprising an imperforate plate for closing said opening, a housing on said plate and having an opening therethrough, a spring confined in said housing and comprising a pair of coil portions interconnected by a U- shaped portion, a wear plate secured to said U-shaped portion and adapted to engage said box to hold said lid in closing position over the box opening, a tongue on said wear plate arranged between the legs of the U-shaped portion and extending through said housing opening to the outside of the housing, said tongue having an opening in the free end thereof, and means insertable in said tongue opening on compression of said spring and engageable with the outside of the housing to hold the spring in retracted position during installation on and removal of said lid from the box.

GEORGE A. WOODMAN. 

